The List of Suspicious Things
Jennie Godfrey
£14.99
Mr B's review
Yorkshire, 1979. The threat of the Yorkshire Ripper looms over the entire county. After overhearing her dad and Aunty Jean talk about moving, eleven-year-old Miv decides the only way to convince her family to stay is to catch the killer. So with the help of her best friend Sharon, Miv creates a list of anything she deems suspicious and sets out to investigate them. But the girls soon discover that sometimes, ‘suspicious’ behaviour is simply a cry for help.
What begins as a slightly naive investigative journey quickly becomes an incredibly moving coming-of-age story about the power of community and kindness. – Nethmi
Description
***THE NUMBER 3 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER***
HAPPY PLACE BOOK CLUB FOR APRIL
A BEST DEBUT OF 2024 BY BBC, RED, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
‘Such a fresh and interesting voice. You’ll cry and you won’t be able to stop reading’
MARIAN KEYES
‘Such a beautiful story about friendship, community and family and secrets and what’s going on underneath’
ZOE BALL
‘Gripping and moving’
GUARDIAN
‘To read it is to feel that little bit better about life’
ELIZABETH DAY
‘A touching paean to lost innocence and the comfort of friendships’
THE TIMES
‘A beautiful mystery with heart’
ROB RINDER
‘This is a heart-warming book’
EMMA HEALEY
‘A gorgeous, page-turning book’
I PAPER
‘A wonderful story’
FEARNE COTTON
‘This book will live in my heart forever. It’s so tender, warm, real and evocative’
DAISY BUCHANAN
Yorkshire, 1979
Maggie Thatcher is prime minister, drainpipe jeans are in, and Miv is convinced that her dad wants to move their family Down South.
Because of the murders.
Leaving Yorkshire and her best friend Sharon simply isn’t an option, no matter the dangers lurking round their way; or the strangeness at home that started the day Miv’s mum stopped talking.
Perhaps if she could solve the case of the disappearing women, they could stay after all?
So, Miv and Sharon decide to make a list: a list of all the suspicious people and things down their street. People they know. People they don’t.
But their search for the truth reveals more secrets in their neighbourhood, within their families – and between each other – than they ever thought possible.
What if the real mystery Miv needs to solve is the one that lies much closer to home?
THE PERFECT DEBUT NOVEL TO DISCUSS IN BOOK CLUBS
***READER REVIEWS***
‘Left a lump in my throat and a hole in my heart’
‘A book I won’t forget for a while’
‘A beautiful and emotional debut that I know will stay with me for a long time’
‘A superb look at childhood, at growing up, at starting to see the world around you’
Publisher Review
Funny, poignant and drawn with real compassion. This is a heart-warming book — Emma Healey, author of ELIZABETH IS MISSING A heartwarming tale about the power of human connection, written with empathy, warmth and care. To read it is to feel that little bit better about life — Elizabeth Day I can’t believe this is a debut. Heavy themes handled with such tenderness and care, a moving, memorable tale of community, connection and curiosity. I loved it — Emma Gannon Profoundly original and dazzlingly written. A beautiful mystery with heart — Rob Rinder A book full of heart that drops you vividly into a time and place. Superb — Kate Hamer This is such a tender coming of age story with unforgettable characters. Exquisite storytelling that’s full of heart — Julie Owen-Moylan Absolutely loved it – it is so engrossing, utterly heart-breaking (made me cry!) but also redemptive and hopeful at the same time — Sophie Hannah I am so sad it has ended because it is a GORGEOUS TRIUMPH. Jennie is an easy and natural storyteller. Beautifully crafted, moving, funny heart-warming, it has all the feels — Georgina Moore Pretty sure this will be the book of 2024. Bring tissues — Joanna Nadin The characters completely burrowed into my heart. It’s a warm, funny, huge-hearted book without any twee – it’s truthful, carrying a sadness too — Chloe Timms An astonishing debut written with much talent and tenderness. It sings with humanity — Amy Twigg Brimming with what is means to be human, this is a book to be savoured and cherished. A book that should be required reading for current and future generations. A once in a lifetime kind of book — Awais Khan What could be more magical than a writer who can flip from hilarity to darkness and back on the same page? Jennie Godfrey does this and more in THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS, all told in a voice that is as authentic as it is unforgettable — Jenny Jackson Endearing characters, nostalgic period details and a warmth that rises from the page make this a must-read * Good Housekeeping *
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